Author: Andrew L.

I am a sucker for any sort of Civilization/4X game (4X is an abbreviation for games where you Explore, Expand, Exploit, and eXterminate) . I suppose it’s because I’m a history major, and so any sort of game where I can look back on civilizations and help build something huge and grandiose from nothing.

I know that Tapestry by Stonemeier Games is all the rage (and indeed, I did preorder a copy), but I recently picked up a game from 2018. It was funded via Kickstarter, but I found this at a local FLGS. I was trading in some games, and it happened to catch my eye. The owner (who is also a friend of mine) suggested that I might enjoy it as it’s a lighter, quicker civ building game.

Rise of Tribes is published by Breaking Games and was designed by Brad Brooks. Up to 4 players compete to guide their civilization by completing goals and developing research. Each player has the same set of goal cards, and each have a certain number of victory points. The winner is the first player to 15 points. No tie breaker, no equal number of turns. It’s the first to 15.

The Box Cover

The rules are relatively simple; each turn you will roll two dice and use those dice to take 2 of 4 total actions. There are three spots for dice on each action, so when you take an action, you push an existing die off (so the next player can roll it). Depending on the die faces (three in total), you may get a stronger or weaker version of the action you decided to place. So in this manner, you can really mess with someones later turn by ensuring you place the die on an action that will force them to take a weaker one.

Each player color has a different meeple ‘sculpt’. Above, you can see the three die faces. Moons provide weaker actions, while suns provide stronger. Blank is the standard.

Over the course of the game, you will add settlers to the board, move those settlers around, gather resources from hexes based upon the terrain type, and lead your civ to get more goal cards. There is a global population limit for each hex, so if you (and your opponents) ever find yourself with settlers over the limit, then conflict occurs. Conflict is simply taking turns removing settlers until there is only one color of settler left in a space (or until you are at the population limit if you are the only player on that space).

The map is made of modular terrain tiles and has a specific layout for each player count, so it’s just as tight with 2 as it is with 4. Additionally, there is a basic game which uses basic tiles and no variable player powers and an advanced game, which gives each player a specific power of their civilization as well as some additional terrain and a special meeple. I haven’t yet played the advanced game, but I am very interested to see what the variable powers bring to the game.

The game comes with a very functional and helpful insert; it even has a little divider to keep the advanced game components separate from the base game.

I really enjoyed my play of this game. Even if I’ve only played it once, I can see that there is replayability and that it’s something I want to keep playing. It’s a quick(er) civ game that doesn’t feel like you have to focus on going to war or playing “take that” with your neighbors just to survive. The fact that all players have the same goals available to them, but that may not be in the same order can help you guide your strategy and figure out what your opponent is doing, so you can make it difficult for them to accomplish it, but that may also cause you to hurt your standing.

This was a blind buy for me, and I’m glad I did. My wife enjoyed playing it, and I think it’s in that sweet spot of light and heavy that I can get other people in my group to try it out, even if they don’t like heavier civ/4x Games. The dice mechanic was something I hadn’t encountered before, so that was a neat twist on placing dice to get the most out of your actions, and the artwork and components are solid as well.

Have you played Rise of Tribes? If not, what are some of your favorite Civ/4x games? Let us know in the comments below!

Hey all! It’s been a hot week here in the Midwest, in both the weather and in gaming news. Last week was GenCon, where us board games find out all the new shiny stuff that we can look forward to getting (sometimes not soon enough).

I got the chance to play games with a member of our game group who I haven’t seen in a while, and he was in the middle of culling his and another group member’s collection. It got me thinking: How much is too much? How many games do I need? What do I get rid of? How do I get rid of them?

So I sat down with my BGG collection exported as a .pdf and figured out what games I definitely could get rid of, and what ones I could consider getting rid of, either for the right price or pending my wife’s approval.

I normally try to sell locally, and if that doesn’t work, take them to Facebook. This time, though, after not getting many nibbles locally, I decided to try out a Math Trade. I have some really great stuff (at least in my mind) and I figure this is a great way to get some games that I’m interested in but might not ever buy at retail.

The games I settled on trading off

So, how did I decide which games to part with? You might think “Simple, get rid of those you haven’t played in a while”. That definitely is an approach I take, but I have to be careful, because there are some games I own that I love to play, but they may only see the table once a year. I also take into consideration who would play games with me. I have a couple there in that photo that I really, really enjoy but other people who I play with didn’t. To me, it isn’t worth taking up space on the shelf (which is usually my biggest reason for selling off large amounts of games) if I’m the only one who likes it.

I’ll also get rid of games if I’m upgrading to a newer or better version. This time around, I know I have the Collector’s Edition of Suburbia coming, so I’m trading off the copy I have. I know that this isn’t a novel concept, but I feel like it at least deserves a mention.

A lot of people try to keep one game of each mechanic on their shelf, and that’s never really worked for me. I focus on each game individually. Sometimes, if I start to get a ton of games in one area (like Deck Building) then I might look and ask myself “Okay, if I had to play a deck builder, what would my top 3 choices be” and whatever I don’t name makes it on the “For Trade” list. That’s usually the exception though, not the rule.

In the end, it really comes down to thinking about what I’m actually going to play. As my friend put it (paraphrased) “There’s so many games that are just good. They’re enjoyable to play, but they don’t make me want to buy them”. This is a mindset I’m going to try to adopt as I go forward. This is going to be tough though, as I tend to really enjoy any game I play.

Do you have any strategies for culling your collection? Let us know in the comments!

It’s good to be back with another d20 list this week. Ironically, we had chosen this topic right before we broke for the 4th of July thinking we could get it done in a short amount of time. But that didn’t happen, so you get it today.

Drew’s PicksWhat do I consider a short game? For me, it’s one you can play in 30 min or less (although I would say 30 is really pushing it, and I don’t really have any that take that long). But in addition to play time, I think a Short Game is one that is light on rules and doesn’t take long to teach and/or setup.

1) Mint Works: This is a quick worker placement game that still asks players to make difficult decisions. The rules are simple (place a mint (worker) and do what the card says. This could include buying or playing a building, which will give you the ability to modify rules or gain victory points.

2) Martian Dice: This is a light press your luck game. It’s one I keep at work to play with coworkers if we have a spare moment or for our Friday game lunches. Taking your turn is just as fun as goading other players into rolling far after they should stop.

3) Love Letter: As far as deduction games go, this is probably my favorite. The rules are simple and the strategy is really easy to pick up after a few plays. It’s another one I keep at work since it’s good with a group and you can play it multiple times in a row.

4) Concept: Charades the board game. Playing with the rules as written, you may not be able to play in 30 minutes, but I’m not sure…we’ve never played with the actual rules. We usually just take turns giving clues and going around the table trying to guess. This is a great one for families and it also encourages players to think outside the box.

5) Eight Minute Empire: A great, quick area control game. This involves both holding areas and moving pieces on a map, but there’s also a really rewarding (and straightforward) set collection piece to it. This was one the first games by Ryan Laukat that I played and really kind of kicked off my love for his games.

6) Ganz schön clever: One of my favorite roll and write games, this one goes a little deeper than your normal roll and write. There are plenty of times where an opponent takes a die you needed or otherwise ruins your plan and you are forced to change your take on the game.

There you have my top 6 quick games. Let’s see what Ryan picked.

Ryan’s PicksI really enjoy a good short game. Especially with a group, because you’ll almost always get a second play in. But some of these I wish would last a little longer, it feels like you’re done too quickly when it’s fun. That kind of contradicts my first point, but that still doesn’t make it any less true. Here are my Top 6 Short Games in no particular order.

1) Codenames: Duet: So this one is made to be a 2 player version of the very good Codenames (Which also could have made this list.). It is playable as teams like standard Codenames, but the cooperative way this game works is extremely fun.

2) Palm Island: Still my favorite quick solo game. It can play with more players, although I haven’t tried it out yet.

3) Fairy Tale: I’ve been in love with this game since I first heard of it. It was a bit of a grail game until it got a US release (I do have the original Japanese version though.). Card drafting to create combos for scoring, it’s a lot of fun, and creates tough decisions at times.

4) Star Realms: One of the best deck building games in general, but it’s quick, and fits in a very small box. Just a ton of fun. Although it probably only short when playing 2 player.

5) The Game: So simple, but a really tough cooperative game to win. It’s just laying down numbered cards, but it’s tricky how to do it well without telling your partners exactly what’s in your hand.

6) The Mind: See my description for The Game, only take away ANY communication. You just have to have a good vibe with your teammates. Pretty difficult, but one where the successes feel like major victories.

There you have it. Our top 6 quick games. Do you have a favorite we didn’t include? Do you agree with our classification of quick games? Let us know in the comments!

Long time no….read? write? Both? Anyway, I haven’t been shy about my issues with anxiety, and some personal stuff the past week had me in a bad head space, so not much gaming or writing going on.

I’m doing better now, though, so I figured I would give a brief update.

My wife and I haven’t been playing a ton and she’s been gone at a work conference for the past few days, but we did get a game in of Last Will and Roll Player with the Monsters and Minons expansion.

We both enjoyed Roll Player and I especially enjoyed the addition of fighting monsters; one of my biggest frustrations of the base game was that it didn’t seem like there was any sort of end goal. M&M fixes that because the points you gain from making sure you are going to fight well against the big baddie can definitely help, especially if your dice weren’t rolling well.

The big surprise, though, was Last Will. I had played it a few times and enjoyed it, but Samantha had never played it before. She really, really liked it, and I could see the wheels turning in her head how she might have spent a few more dollars each turn so that she would have come out ahead. It was one I was ready to trade away, but based on our first play, it’s going to stay in our collection for a while.

We picked up some games on Prime Day that I’ve played before but am excited to own. We snagged Tokaido and Pandemic: The Cure, along with some mass market games that we can start playing with our daughter. I also picked up One Night Ultimate Super Villains which probably would surprise those of you who have been following the blog for a while, since I don’t normally like those games. However, it was a good price and it’s good to have for larger impromptu game nights or for my Friday work game hours.

Anyway, I think that’s good enough for now. We’re going to get back in the swing of things, both playing more games and writing about them. We already have our next d20 List ready! What have you been up to lately, gaming or otherwise? Let us know in the comments below.

I wrote a few weeks ago about playing games where the strategy escapes me the first few times and how that usually drives me to try to figure it out. It’s not always heavy games, though.

There’s this new game out that you might have heard of. It’s designed by Elizabeth Hargrave and published by Stonemaier Games. It’s a game about birds. Does the name Wingspan ring any bells?

Of course, that’s a bit tongue in cheek. Wingspan has been a ridiculously hot commodity, so much so that it is already on maybe its 6th print run. Gamers everywhere seem to be clamoring for it. Gamers tend to have a pretty big fear of missing out and want to seek out the new hotness, sometimes even if the game isn’t that great. So does Wingspan live up to the hype?

I had heard about Wingspan and I initially had mixed feelings. A game about birds? That’s…eh. But I knew it was being put out by Stonemaier and so I wanted to give it a shot based on their catalog alone: I haven’t played a Stonemaier game I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed. I was determined not to buy a copy though, which I didn’t think would be an issue due to the initial shortage.

Ryan, though, managed to snag a copy, and so at the next game day I asked him to bring it so we could just rip the bandaid off. Let’s get it over with, I thought. Let’s play this game about birds that I don’t want to like so I won’t need to buy it.

And then, we played it. And I did terrible. And I knew I had to have it.

Let’s talk briefly about gameplay. Wingspan is an engine builder, and due to its scoring mechanic, the number of actions you have each turn (I use turn to define the largest chunks of gameplay) diminish. Like other engine builders, there are a variety of ways to chain cards together to make the most of your actions. There’s a variety of end game scoring opportunities too, from private objectives, to turn based objectives, to simply playing cards with high point values or that can hold lots of eggs.

I can usually sniff out a competitive strategy the first time I play an engine builder; it’s one of my favorite mechanisms. With Wingspan, though, even though the rules were extremely light, the strategy wasn’t apparent to me. I sort of floundered here and there, not being able to commit and didn’t really feel like I played well at all. As I told a board game community I’m a part of, “It enraged me and I loved it and I must have it”

To some people, though, gameplay isn’t everything, and I’ll admit I do like games with higher quality bits than just cardboard, and Wingspan doesn’t disappoint.

The game comes with a lot of stuff. Notably, it includes a plastic card tray to hold all the cards, 5 chunky (but not too big) wooden dice, a cardboard birdhouse dice tower, 3 rulebooks that come on the best paper I’ve ever held in my hands, wooden eggs that might be confused for Easter candy and lots and lots of beautifully illustrated cards.

I can’t stress how impressed I am with the work of Beth Sobel, Natalia Rojas and Ana Maria Martinez Jaramillo . All of the birds look like they came right out of an Audubon field guide. The iconography and layout is clean and easily recognizable, and the player boards are thematic. I am not a birder, but based upon feedback I’m seeing in the Facebook group that was set up for this game, there are tons of them that vouch for the art being ridiculously authentic, as well as the game being enjoyable. The artwork complements the mechanics, and you really do actually get the theme of birds and building an aviary.

Wingspan has vaulted itself to the top of my “games to play with people who aren’t gamers” list. The rules are easy to grasp, and it’s a fun game to play while you are having a conversation. I’ve enjoyed it at various player counts, from 2 to 4, and it even includes the ever great Automa system so you can play it solo (even though I haven’t yet tried).

I think Wingspan could be easily dismissed, like I almost did, because of the theme, but this would be a mistake. Wingspan is one of those games that has something for just about everyone, although I could see how those who tend to the medium-heavy end of the spectrum might lose interest. It’s definitely worth a play, however, even to just look at the art and play a laid back game.

I work as a developer for a pretty specific IT Management
product; it’s a job that can include a lot of programming or other logical
thinking about how I might go about solving a problem. It can be pretty brain burny at times, but I
really like this aspect of the job: it’s
what appealed to me during my brief stint in law school too. I like being challenged to think about things.

I like this in board games too. I enjoy needing to follow a variety of
threads and think about the implications if I pull on a specific one at the
right time. I like games that take a
while to play where you really have to invest in what you are doing to be successful. I like heavy games that require you to think waaaaay
ahead, or juggle umpteen variables in your determination in what to do.

To me, a game can be rules lite and still be heavy. The heaviness comes from the ability to
understand optimal play quickly or where it takes quite a bit of mental
capacity to play well. It can also take
the time it takes to play the game into consideration, but there are other
games that take a long time that I wouldn’t necessarily call “heavy”. I know that this definition can vary for
people, so I wanted to use this as a starting point.

I can really thank the folks over at Heavy Cardboard for
really getting me to dive into these games (note: if you are a fan of “medium
to heavy board games, war games, 18xx, and thinky fillers”, you should really
be following all the content they put out at https://www.heavycardboard.com/ and
consider becoming a patron of the show).
I never thought I would be interested in economic games like 1889, Brass
Birmingham, or Age of Steam, but after watching some of their playthroughs, a
new board gaming world opened up to me.
I always thought I had to have a strong grasp of how stock markets work
to play and enjoy these games, but I was wrong.
Sure, that understanding can help you make competitive moves, but there’s
a joy in “pulling some levers, seeing what happens, and enjoying it” which is
paraphrased from HC’s host, Edward Uhler.

The reason these games appeal to me is because they challenge me. I know I’ll never play Age of Steam or an 18xx title enough to fully grasp the optimal play for each situation, but that’s okay with me. I can keep trying different moves out to become good, though. Playing these games sub-optimally with my friends, who also play what I would consider sub-optimally, has provided me with some of the best “hold my beer” and most enjoyable moments in board gaming. I actually enjoy it more when I can’t figure out a board game in my first few plays of it, because it drives me to try to think a little harder about the game and I’m more likely to play it more often.

I think I can best sum it up by saying I really enjoy the journey or the process in what makes a game work. Even if I’m terrible at the game, figuring out what is under the hood is the thing that appeals to me most, and with heavy games, there’s a lot more to understand and unpack.

Don’t get me wrong. I
enjoy playing party games in the right crowd, and I have plenty of lighter
games I love, but I think medium to heavy games are really where my most fulfilling
gaming experiences come from.

What is the heaviest game you’ve played?
What makes it ‘heavy’ for you? Have you been scared off by games because
you thought the theme would be too heavy, or it would be too difficult to play
well? Let us know in the comments!

I have been under the weather and dealing with a lot of work
lately, so the original idea I had for this week wasn’t going to pan out.

But the show must go on.
So since my wife and I have been playing quite a few games lately, so I
figured I would do a little blurb or mini review on each of them.

Trans America: This, like many of these on the list, was a nice, light surprise of a game. It’s a route builder where you can use the track your opponent lays. In a 2 player game, it’s really important to time that connection so that your opponent can’t use the network you’ve built to complete their network.

We didn’t play with it, but I did also pick up the expansion that allows players to lay exclusive track, which I have heard improves the game quite a bit.

Notre Dame: The only Feld I had played prior to this was Castles of Burgundy, and while I think it’s still my favorite, I was really impressed by this one. The cube placement mechanic combined with the card drafting wasn’t something I had played before, and I really liked that we didn’t need to tweak rules to play two player.

Mint Delivery/Mint Works: These were a surprise hit. I picked them up on a whim, hearing they were good, but not expecting much. We played Mint Works first, and it was a quick, thinky worker placement; it was quick enough we played a couple games back to back.

Mint Delivery took a little longer, but I really enjoyed this one. My major complaint with pickup and deliver games is that set up and gameplay can usually take a big time investment; with Mint Delivery, you can play a solid pick up and deliver game in 30 minutes.

Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game: I always forget how much I love this game. It has mechanics I enjoy (deck building), a theme I enjoy (Marvel superheroes) and tons of expansions. We played the Avengers v. X-Men scenario which was fun, and ended up defeating Mysterio thanks to my wife’s shouldering about 90% of the work.

Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle: Another deckbuilder we had played before, but not for a very long time, this one was nice. It isn’t the best thing I’ve ever played (and this could be because we are playing year by year instead of taking the recommendation to start in year 4), but I’m looking forward to playing through all 7 years.

Villainous: I liked this one more than I thought I would. The theme is unique, and I like the variable player powers and goals. It’s straightforward enough, and I want to try playing it again.

So some really good lighter games getting played, but I’m
looking forward to summer, when my wife doesn’t work and so we can afford to
play some longer games.

It’s time for another d20 List. This week, I rolled 12, which was a relief because we’ve had a few longer lists. I wanted to do something different, so this week, I chose something that is near and dear to my heart: Expansions!!

Whether I’ve played the game 20 times, or I’m just going “all-in” I love games that include ways to change up the base game or add additional functionality/gameplay. I, like many of you (I assume) am also a completionist, so there are some game systems where I own more expansions than times I’ve played the game.

Drew’s Picks

So with that being said, here’s my top 12 expansions (in no particular order) [Author’s Note- Many of my entries count for ALL of the expansions for that series, I just picked the one I prefer the most]:

Memoir ‘44 Campaign Book 1: It’s no surprise I love Memoir ‘44. The Campaign Books give you a way to link together multiple scenarios where there are ramifications based upon if you win or lose. It also provides an extra layer of strategy as you can get reinforcements or special abilities to use throughout the campaign.

Lords of Waterdeep: Scoundrels of Skullport: This adds two new boards and a new mechanic (Corruption) to Lords of Waterdeep, which really made it fresh to me again, after playing the base game quite a bit. Corruption really adds another layer of interactivity between players which can make things really, really interesting, especially at higher player counts.

D-Day Dice: Operation Neptune: I am a fan of all things D-Day, and Operation Neptune (as many of the expansions) add a ton of extra maps, items, and other things you can use to storm the beaches.

Ambush: Move Out!: This one can be hard to find, but Ambush! Is probably one of my favorite wargames of all time. Move Out! (along with the other 2 expansions, Silver Star and Purple Heart) adds more story based missions that you can take your squad from the base game through.

Alhambra: The Thief’s Turn: While I enjoy many of the Alhambra expansions (especially the Treasure Room), using the “Change” module from this expansion added an extra oomph to the game that was missing. This is probably the base game I’ve played the most, so I’m looking forward to adding more and more of the modules.

Sagrada: 5 and 6 Player Expansion: This gives official rules for modifying the dice bag based upon the number of players, as well as adding some interesting new goals.

Lock n Load Tactical: Solo: This allows you to play any of the Lock n Load Tactical games solo; it’s versatility to work with any game in the system is amazing, and gets you a ton of use for the price.

Roll Player: Monsters & Minions: In the base Roll Player, I was always a little frustrated that you couldn’t do anything with the character you created. In Monsters & Minions, you get to take your character and gather information and eventually fight the monster. It makes me feel like I’m actually doing something with my character, instead of just building them and then returning them to the box.

Clash of Cultures: Civilization: This is the one expansion on the list that I think really improves the base game. Civilization adds leaders and unique Civs to a 4x Civ game that was missing them. Oh, and war elephants.

Imperial Settlers: Atlanteans: Imperial Settlers is in my top 5 games of all time (most days) and so any expansion that adds a new mechanic or civilization (usually the big expansions do both) is awesome in my book.

Viticulture: Tuscany Essential Edition: Viticulture is amazing on its own, but Tuscany kicks it up a notch. Instead of two seasons to allocate your workers, Tuscany includes all four seasons. It also includes the Mama’s and the Papa’s (not the band), a way to randomize and asymmetrize players’ starting resources.

So there you have my top 12 expansions. Now we’ll see what Ryan chose.

Ryan’s Picks

I’m going to admit, I don’t play with expansions that often, but I own a lot of them. I also am really bad at evaluating how much they bring to a game. You’ll likely notice a pattern to some of my choices…

Marvel Legendary: Dark City: This can pretty much apply to all of the Marvel Legendary expansions. This was the first big expansion to what’s currently my favorite game. The main thing it brings is variety. More of everything makes this game a lot of fun. Although sometimes you get some bad combos.

Ticket to Ride 1910: The best thing about this game to me is the full sized cards, but it also brings a lot of nice variety in additional route cards.

Star Realms: Frontiers: A really good, fully playable game on it’s own, it’s just a different implementation of Star Realms, and it adds a lot of solitaire options. You can mix it with the base deck too, although I haven’t done that yet.

Race for the Galaxy: The Gathering Storm: This adds solitaire play to one of my favorite games. And it works really well too. You add most of the cards to the deck, so I’m not sure what exactly they do. Oh, and it adds the ability to have more players too.

Fleet: Arctic Bounty: Great art from EricJ Carter, and another expansion that adds solitaire play that works really well. I haven’t played with much else from it. I need to just play Fleet more often in general, I always enjoy it.

Power Grid: Benelux/Eastern Europe: Another one that encompasses a bunch of maps, although I’ve only played this one and France/Italy. They add variety to another of my favorite games.

Patchwork: Automa: This one only changes a great 2 player game into a really good solo game. Admittedly I’ve only tried it once, but I thought it did its job extremely well.

Time Stories: The Marcy Case: Another place holder for a full series of expansions, they are literally required to play the game without spoilers. The intention is to only play each module once. I haven’t even played any of them yet, but I enjoyed the game so much I know these will be fun too. They’d likely be ranked higher.

Runebound: The Island of Dread: Yet another placeholder for a large amount of expansions to one of my favorite games. These apply to the 2nd edition only for now, although I am hoping to play the 3rd edition soon. There are a TON of expansions, some just a deck of scenario cards, some just extra weapons, and some have maps and change everything. While most work well, I’m not really sure I like the character decks.

Pitchcar Mini Extension: This applies to a few different expansions too. It basically adds things like multi-lane corners, jumps, and criss crosses. Just more variety for a great game.

Carcassonne: Inns & Cathedrals: This adds some variety of tiles, pieces for another player, but the best thing is the big meeple. The big meeple counts as 2 meeples, so placing it can break a potential tie because he’s around. Plus, those big meeples look awesome. The Traders & Builders expansion also adds some interesting things to basic Carcassonne, but no big meeples.

So there you have it. Our top 12 (times 2) expansions. Do you have any expansions that you HAVE to play with when you play a certain game? Did we completely miss the mark? Let us know in the comments!

I love games with dice. Dice drafting, dice collecting, dice manipulation, you name it. If the game includes dice as a means for the mechanic, I’m in.

That is, I was in, until I played Machi Koro. When it came out, I was super excited. I loved the idea of using the dice for resource allocation a la Settlers of Catan. And we played a bunch of Machi Koro when it first came out. But then, we stopped, even with adding in the expansions. It became very samey to us. Either we would pursue the same strategies we always did (Cheese for the win) or the randomness that the expansion(s?) introduced made the game run way to long for what it was. It had so much promise, but I wanted more.

Last year at BGG.Con Spring, I was introduced to Space Base,designed by John D. Clair and published by Alderac Entertainment Group. It was described to me as a more interactive Machi Koro and I was intrigued, so we gave it a shot.

In Space Base, players are trying to be the first to gain 40 points. On your turn, you roll two dice. You can then either take the active benefit of the cards that are either on each of the dice or the benefit of the card on the sum of the dice (so if I rolled a 1 and a 4 on 2d6, I could either take the benefits of the 1 and 4 cards OR the benefit on the 5 card).

Once you’ve taken your actions, you may then buy a card. This allows you to upgrade to more powerful active abilities. Additionally, it also lets you move the card that was in that space to the top of your board, where it becomes a passive ability; that means you get to use it if any other player rolls that number (or combination).

With the transitioning of cards from active to passive, you have a great, lightweight tableau builder where you have meaningful decisions to make on every turn. I’ve glossed over some of the more nuanced rules, but there are tons of different abilities on cards, from those that let you charge up and deploy special powers, to straight up victory points. Knowing when to replace a card is huge in this game, as is managing cards with charges on them.

Space Base is a lightweight game that would be great for people who might have dipped their toes in the water of gaming, but aren’t sure where to go next. I feel it helps to have someone who has played through the game a few times teach it, or at least be close by, because in most of the games I’ve taught of it there have always been a few card clarifications needed.

Now that I’ve traveled to space, I can’t see myself returning to Earth, except maybe when playing a game with people who don’t consider themselves gamers. I wholeheartedly recommend Space Base.